Tag: anthony sherman

Will anyone take up FB Anthony Sherman’s mantle at Chiefs training camp?

No one else made entrances at #Chiefs training camp like the recently-retired fullback. Will his legacy continue?

Former Kansas City Chiefs fullback Anthony Sherman made a tradition out of training camp arrivals over the years, typically wearing some goofy and iconic.

In 2020, Chiefs fans missed out on the annual training camp entrance due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a sad and unfortunate circumstance given Sherman’s rich history of training camp arrivals over his tenure in Kansas City. In 2019, Sherman showed up to training camp driving Chiefs fan and former NASCAR racer Clint Bowyer’s stock car. He sported a full custom Chiefs racing suit, including a sweet helmet.

It was perhaps his pièce de résistance when it comes to training camp arrivals.

Back in 2018, Sherman wore a USA-themed wrestling singlet with an accompanying red, white and blue hat.

In 2017, Sherman wore jorts, a leather vest and a fake mullet — which former Kansas City Royals’ first baseman Billy “Country Breakfast” Butler helped him arrange.

All the way back in 2016, he kicked off the tradition with some jean overalls with no shirt underneath and sunglasses.

With training camp beginning this week for rookies and quarterbacks, it begs the question, will anyone take up Sherman’s mantle? Training camp just won’t seem the same without Sherman having a laugh on that first day when veterans arrive at St. Joseph. It’d be fun if someone else in the locker room tried to pick up where Sherman left off. Who knows, after riding a helicopter off into the sunset for his retirement, maybe he’ll just fly into training camp and make an entrance one last time.

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Chiefs to sign former Saints fullback Michael Burton

The Chiefs found their Anthony Sherman replacement by signing former New Orleans Saints fullback Michael Burton, an unrestricted free agent.

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The Kansas City Star’s Herbie Teope reported Tuesday that former New Orleans Saints fullback Michael Burton signed a one-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. Burton was an unrestricted free agent after his one-year deal with New Orleans expired after the 2020 season. He was presumed to depart after the Saints signed former Carolina Panthers fullback Alex Armah to a one-year contract earlier this offseason.

A fifth-round pick out of Rutgers in the 2015 NFL draft, Burton spent two years with the Detroit Lions before he was claimed off of waivers by the Chicago Bears. After joining the Saints for training camp in 2019, he returned to New Orleans after a year with the Washington Football Team to replace the retired Zack Line. The fullback is viewed as a dying breed around the NFL, but Sean Payton is one of a handful of play callers who has shown a propensity for them on his roster.

While primarily a special teams player, on the field for 29% of snaps in the kicking game compared to 19% of the offensive snaps, Burton shined with his blocking skills. He saw just four targets in 2020 but was a cornerstone in the New Orleans rushing attack, which ranked sixth in the league; the trio of Alvin Kamara, Latavius Murray, and Taysom Hill averaged over 141 yards per game on the ground.

The salary terms are not yet known, but it’s likely the Chiefs offered a veteran minimum contract similar to what the Saints signed him to last season. That would not qualify for a compensatory draft pick in 2022. In such an underused role, any production on the part of Burton is a positive for Kansas City, particularly in the upward trajectory of young running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire as a key lead blocker. But if Burton hits the ground running, he could hang around: he’s replacing longtime Chiefs fullback Anthony Sherman, who retired after eight years with the team.

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WATCH: Chiefs share Anthony Sherman career tribute video

The video thanks Sherman, while recapping some of the best moments from his Kansas City Chiefs career.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tn7eGBX29_U

Kansas City Chiefs fullback Anthony Sherman has hung up his cleats for good, retiring from the NFL after a 10-year career.

On Friday, the Chiefs released a touching career tribute video to their social media channels celebrating some of the best moments from Sherman’s time in Kansas City. It covers everything from his first NFL touchdown against the Cleveland Browns back in 2013 all the way to his block during the “Run to Immortality” in Super Bowl LIV.

They even included the perfect audio clip, summing up Sherman’s time with the team.

“Going into my third year, I got a call saying I’d been traded to the Kansas City Chiefs,” Sherman said. “I was super excited. I couldn’t wait to come to the Chiefs and be in the midwest. And I love Arrowhead when they yell out, ‘Home of the Chiefs!’ in the anthem. It gets me fired up. I feel like this is where I belong my whole career.”

Sherman played the majority of his career with the Chiefs, finishing it out with back-to-back Super Bowl appearances, including a win in Super Bowl LIV. He also earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2018 and a second-team All-Pro selection in 2014. He saw plenty of success during his eight seasons in Kansas City and he’ll be missed by his teammates as well as the entirety of Chiefs Kingdom.

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Will the Chiefs carry a fullback on the 53-man roster in 2021?

The fullback position isn’t considered a necessity in today’s NFL. Will the Chiefs carry one on the roster in 2021?

Kansas City Chiefs fullback Anthony Sherman announced his retirement on Thursday after eight seasons with the team. Sherman has held down the fullback position in the Chiefs’ offense during years when the position looked to be going extinct in the NFL. Now, for the first time since Andy Reid’s arrival in Kansas City, the team is without a clear starter at the position.

Reid has always used a fullback in his offenses, dating back to his first season with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1999. Even as his scheme has become more and more pass-heavy over the years, he’s yet to shy away from having a true fullback on the roster. Could Sherman’s departure signal a change in heart, though? Sherman did very recently mention on NFL Network that he was interested in playing in Kansas City for another season. Was this just an issue of a lessened salary cap forcing a veteran free agent out or is there something more at play here?

One thing we know is that the demise of the fullback position in the NFL has been greatly exaggerated. They might not be used as they were once used, purely as blockers, back when NFL’s offenses were predicated on running the ball. They’re asked to do a bunch of different things nowadays, be it lining up in different spots, running the ball, catching the ball and special teams work.

Fullbacks are also much more prevalent on rosters than you’d think. According to Spotrac, 20-of-32 NFL teams currently have a fullback under contract on their rosters. Some of those teams even have multiple fullbacks signed, at least for the offseason. That doesn’t even consider a team like Kansas City that has historically carried a fullback but doesn’t currently have one on the roster.

Another thing that we know is that the Chiefs have signaled a slight departure from the norm lately. In 2019, they brought in former Princeton QB John Lovett as an undrafted free agent and converted him into an H-Back. That position is essentially a hybridized fullback and tight end, with emphasis on playing on the wings, set back from the line of scrimmage. Lovett dealt with injuries and ultimately ended up a free agent, signing with the Green Bay Packers. If Brett Veach doesn’t go the way of signing a traditional fullback like Sherman, maybe an H-Back is an option that the team will explore.

Replacing Sherman, specifically, will be a tough task for Kansas City. Beyond the intangibles, like his presence and leadership in the locker room, he’s never played fewer than 53% of the special teams snaps in a single season for the Chiefs. He’s also been surehanded, never recording a catch rate lower than 50% during his career. According to PFF’s Wins Above Replacement metric, Sherman was the second-most-valuable fullback in the NFL from 2013-2020.

Ultimately, bringing in someone who can do everything that Sherman did in Kansas City will be a tough task for the front office. It might take a village to make up the type of impact that he had on the team. Whether the Chiefs carry a true fullback on the roster in 2021 could come down to their ability to identify a player that can either meet or exceed the type of production and impact that Sherman had.

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Chiefs’ Anthony Sherman makes incredible exit after announcing retirement

What did the Kansas City Chiefs’ Anthony Sherman do after announcing his retirement after 10 NFL seasons?

Talk about going out in style.

Anthony Sherman of the Kansas City Chiefs announced his retirement on Thursday after 10 seasons, eight with KC.

“Kansas City, thanks for all the memories,” Sherman said in a video he posted to Twitter. “It’s been a great run: eight years, Super Bowls. But it’s on to the next chapter.”

And after stating his plan, he took off … in a helicopter.

Kanascity.com totaled the fullback’s contributions:

… he found a home as a lead blocker and as a leader of the special teams, where he played at least 200 snaps in every season. He totaled 2,593 special teams snaps in his career, which began in Arizona, the organization that drafted him in the fifth round in 2011.

He scored five total touchdowns in his career, his lone score last season serving as one of his most memorable. The Chiefs dialed up a play especially for him in which quarterback Patrick Mahomes flipped an underhand pass his way for a touchdown against the Ravens. The Chiefs called it Smoked Sausage, in homage to Sherman’s nickname, The Sausage.

Chiefs FB Anthony Sherman announces his retirement from NFL

Sherman spent eight seasons in Kansas City.

Kansas City Chiefs FB Anthony Sherman has announced his retirement after a 10-year NFL career.

Sherman was slated to become a free agent this offseason and expressed interest in returning to the Chiefs for a ninth season. Instead, it seems that Sherman has decided to call it a career and move onto the next chapter of his life. His retirement announcement would suggest that the next chapter will have something to do with the Homeland Security Investigations branch, possibly flying helicopters?

Check out his retirement video shared to Twitter down below:

One of the longest-tenured players on the team, Sherman first joined the Chiefs in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals back in 2013. In an era where the NFL was moving away from the fullback position, Sherman seemed to thrive. He quickly established himself as a leader on the offense and on special teams in Kansas City.

Over the course of his eight seasons with the Chiefs, Sherman was mostly used as a blocker and on special teams. He only recorded a total of 27 carries for 70 yards and a touchdown when rushing the ball during his career. He made a larger impact in the passing game, especially on screen passes, catching 53 passes for 443 yards and four touchdowns. In 2018, Sherman earned his first career Pro Bowl selection and in 2019 he became a Super Bowl champion with Kansas City.

Sherman will be remembered for his leadership and light-hearted nature. ‘Sausage’ would always show up to training camp in ridiculous costumes, and was a strong presence in the locker room. Perhaps his most memorable moment will be his block in Super Bowl LIV, which paved the way for Damien Williams to score the touchdown that would ice the game.

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Chiefs FB Anthony Sherman wants to return to Kansas City in 2021

Sherman is a pending free agent but he wants to win more rings and knows Kansas City is the place to do it.

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Kansas City Chiefs FB Anthony Sherman joined NFL Network’s GMFB on Friday morning to recap Super Bowl LV and talk about the future.

The 32-year-old fullback has been a mainstay in Kansas City since he was acquired by former GM John Dorsey in a trade sending CB Javier Arenas to the Arizona Cardinals in 2013. This year he was among the longest-tenured players on the roster along with Travis Kelce and Eric Fisher.

Sherman has been signing one-year contract extensions with the Chiefs dating back to the 2018 NFL season. He’s set to become a free agent once again at the start of the new league year, but Sherman told the GMFB crew that he’d be interested in a return to Kansas City. Sherman seems to expect things to play out as it has in previous years.

“Well, in my mindset, I’ve kind of done this the last three or four years,” Sherman told Nate Burleson. “Obviously, what I deserve is completely different than what I want. I will probably do whatever I can to get back to Kansas City just because — I want rings. And in Kansas City, that’s where you’re going to get them. So I definitely want to go back to the Chiefs and be part of that team.”

As for Super Bowl LV, Sherman doesn’t have all the answers about the disappointing performance from the Chiefs. In his estimation, there were a lot of little mistakes that prevented the team from getting into a groove offensively.

“I can’t really pinpoint one thing,” Sherman told Kyle Brandt. “I think it was just a combination of a lot of little mistakes that took place that didn’t let us get in our groove and click on the offensive side of the ball. When we’re moving in, driving, there’s a penalty or a dropped pass or a missed protection. There were just a bunch of little things that ended up leading to just not executing in the red zone.”

Despite the diminishing role of the fullback position around the league, Andy Reid, Eric Bieniemy and Dave Toub all find ways to use Sherman. He caught a touchdown pass against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3, he’s sltil used in a number of blocking situations on offense and he continues to be a leader for the special teams unit.

It’s not clear if Sherman will be back with the Chiefs in 2021 given the constraints related to the salary cap, but it seems like he’s still very committed to this franchise and working toward winning another championship. Those are the types of guys you want in the locker room.

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Chiefs activate FB Anthony Sherman from reserve/COVID-19 list

The Sausage is back after a multi-week stint on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

The Kansas City Chiefs have activated FB Anthony Sherman from the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Andy Reid announced earlier today that Sherman would return to practice, but the NFL’s transaction report made it official. Sherman has been removed from the reserve/COVID-19 list. This might not seem like a big move, but Sherman is one of the longest-tenured players on the roster and a team leader.

Sheman was first placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list following the team’s Week 5 game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Reports claim that Shermann didn’t contract COVID-19 at the time he was placed on the list, but did have close contact with an individual who tested positive for the novel virus.

In all Sherman missed three games, but was still present for virtual team meetings. Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy often referred to him as “Coach Sherman” during his absence, as he was tasked with getting Le’Veon Bell up to speed with the playbook and terminology in Kansas City.

While Sherman was absent, the Chiefs relied on Travis Kelce to fill as a blocker on certain plays on the offense. Additionally, they relied on a variety of players to pick up the slack on special teams to play in his absence.

No corresponding moves are needed for Sherman’s activation. Kansas City had a free roster spot due to yesterday’s trade sending RB DeAndre Washington to the Miami Dolphins.

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Chiefs HC Andy Reid provides injury updates ahead of Wednesday practice

Two Kansas City Chiefs players won’t practice on Wednesday, but several will return to practice including rookie CB L’Jarius Sneed.

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid gave his typical pre-practice injury update when he spoke to the media ahead of the first practice of the week on Wednesday.

The good news is that several key players will return to practice for the Chiefs in Week 9. The bad news is that two players won’t be participating in practice today, including one new player that hasn’t been on the injury report.

“As far as practicing today, Frank Clark won’t practice,” Reid told reporters on Wednesday. “He’s got a little bit of a swollen knee. He should be okay, though, as we go. But we’ll rest him up today.”

Clark wasn’t on the injury report last week, so this looks to be a new injury. It doesn’t seem to be something that Reid expects to be serious. Don’t be surprised to see Clark back at practice later this week after the comments from today.

“(Mitchell) Schwartz is not going to practice, likewise, with the back,” Reid continued.

Schwartz has missed two consecutive games with a back injury. It seems like they’re really trying to rest him up and make sure he’s available for the stretch run of the season. While Schwartz won’t be back today, the Chiefs did have three players return to practice.

“We do have Sherm (Anthony Sherman) back,” Reid said. “He’ll be out there.”

Sherman had missed the past few weeks as he was on the reserve/COVID-19 list following close contact with someone who contracted the virus. He’s been cleared to return from that list and practice with the team.

“Sammy Watkins will get some work in,” Reid said. “And we’ll see how he does.”

Watkins has missed the past three weeks due to a hamstring injury. He’d been working hard toward getting back. While Reid wouldn’t commit to full practice for Watkins, it’ll be good to see him out there getting some work in. His return to practice doesn’t necessarily indicate that he’ll play this week.

“(L’Jarius) Sneed will also be out there getting some work in,” Reid concluded.

Finally, the Chiefs’ standout rookie cornerback has been designated to return from injured reserve. Sneed suffered a fracture to his collarbone in Week 3 against the Baltimore Ravens and has been on injured reserve ever since. The team now has a 21-day practice window to decide whether he’ll be activated from injured reserve. It could be as early as this week or it could come following the bye week depending on how well Sneed does in practice.

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Chiefs HC Andy Reid provides injury updates ahead of Wednesday practice

Four Kansas City Chiefs players won’t practice on Wednesday.

Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid provided some injury updates when he spoke to the media ahead of the first practice of the week on Wednesday. Four players won’t be participating in practice according to Reid. He provided information on those players, including a new addition to the injury report in Taco Charlton.

“It’s not a personal day, he is hurt,” Reid said. “It happened later in the game and it just started bothering him. It was his knee and we’ll just see how it goes and give him some time here to let the thing heal up and see how bad it is.”

Charlton played in just 13 snaps during Monday’s win over the Bills. He was one of only three players available after Alex Okafor went down with an injury. This injury has the Chiefs approaching dangerous levels in terms of depth at the defensive end position. Only Frank Clark, Tanoh Kpassagnon and Demone Harris are currently healthy with Mike Danna on the injury report.

The other players that won’t participate in practice on Wednesday include Sammy Watkins, who suffered an injury in Week 5 against the Las Vegas Raiders. Okafor won’t practice as he is dealing with a hamstring injury. Reid also said that Mitchell Schwartz wouldn’t practice on Wednesday as he continues to recover from a back injury.

Reid did provide another injury update on OL Martinas Rankin, who is able to practice for the first time this week after starting the season on the PUP list. Reid’s comments from last week suggested Rankin might not be ready to go, but today it sounded like he could be making his return to practice.

“He hasn’t done anything, so we’ll just see how it works out for him,” Reid said. “We’ll kind of take that day-by-day too. Again, we’ll just have to see, that’s why they have [the practice window] in here for us. You’ve got a [six] week period there that you can work with. Let’s just see how he does and where he’s at right now.”

If Rankin does indeed return to practice, he might not be a full participant right away. He could be a limited participant working his way up from individual work to something that could include some contact, though the Chiefs do a lot more walkthrough type of work during the course of the season.

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